Plenty of shut eye and a putting method he’s adopted from a USA Ryder Cup team rival has Darren Clarke bubbling with enthusiasm at the Australian Open in Sydney.
Clarke fought back impressively from a disappointing opening score of 75 with a display that was eight shots fewer and only be trailing just seven shots from the lead and with two rounds to play on the superb Australian Club course on the edge of the Sydney CBD.
Australia’s Matt Jones, winner of last year’s Shell Houston Open, heads the weekend field by three shots at seven under par and with the big threat World No. 1 Jordan Spieth lying four back of Jones.
Clarke had ended his first round playing his closing four holes in four over par but with the gleaming Ryder Cup staring at him on the first tee, the Ulstermen was inspired starting with back-to-back birdies.
Matt Kuchar displays the ‘Matt Kuchar’ putting method.
He dropped a shot at the ninth but then came home in three under par including holing a two-footer at the last after finding a fairway bunker with his drive down 18.
“I played really well all day and it’s still very difficult out there, so you have to give this course a lot of respect as it’s a proper golf course, a proper golf course,” he said.
“I was playing well for the first dozen holes on Thursday but jet-lag jumped up and got me.
“I got loads of sleep Thursday night and this morning (FRD) but unlike Wednesday night when I hardly got any sleep at all.
“But then I am not just playing golf to make pars and I’ve come here to win the tournament.”
And Europe’s Ryder Cup captain continues to sing the praise of a Matt Kuchar putting method as he also seeks to end a more than four-year winless drought.
“I’ve been telling everyone all year I’ve been playing decent and with this new putting method of ‘Kuch’s’ I am holing a lot more putts, “ he said after a round that included just 24 putts.
The ‘Kuchar Putting Method’ involves resting a putter with a longer than normal grip against your forearm so that sits some two inches short of your elbow.
The method while anchored against the wrist is not considered illegal by the ruling bodies.
